Percutaneous medication device



Aug. 25, 1964 c. J. LITZ, JR 3,145,712

PERCUTANEOUS MEDICATION DEVICE Filed March 15, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. CHARLES J. LITZ.JR.

BY 7Y1. Maw/adv PM ATTORNEY Aug. 25, 1964 c. J. LITZ, JR

PERCUTANEOUS MEDICATION DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2.3, 1963 w izouom II 5620 023a 225 3:30 6: on 53200 BEEQEF 323mm II .3 5 33 26 23m 23m 28 2 wN @N 3230. 33:0 o2 oo 28m 28 .3: mm mm 9 832mm 2 5 v 26 5: wo v AT TORNEY sw m 25, 1964 c. J. LITZ, JR 3,145,712

PERCUTANEOUS MEDICATION DEVICE Filed March 15, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Radio Transmitter Medication Dev|oe Radio Receiver '5 n\ l: '5 C O 0 9:. Q o

C .2 Q\ 6 3 o =5 3 INVENTOR. g Q CHARLES J. LITZ,JR. v BY flaw! 7 L 44;

United States Patent 4 ,7 2 PERCUTANEOUS MEDICATION. DEVICE Charles J. Litz, In, Phiiadelphia County, Pa., a'ssignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Mar. 13, 1963, Ser. No.'265,318 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-173.) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without-payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to percutaneous medication devices which function to administer medication subcutaneously by capillary discharge under high pressure. As is well known, this operation is practically painless, involves no injury to the body tissue and minimizes "the danger of infection. Heretofore, various types of devices have been proposed for performing this operation. Insofar as is known, none of these prior art devices have been adapted to be attached to the human body or to be operated either manually or automatically at a point remote from the individual to which the device is attached. The present invention provides such a device.

Whether the device be attached to a man in space or on the ground, it is desirable that it be capable of responding to a group leader or to means for sensing the presence of an injurious gas. The present invention accomplishes this result by means of a radio transmitter which is energized by the gas sensor or the leader and a radio receiver which is operated by the transmitted radio signal to fire an explosive cartridge which forms a part of the medication device. This develops a gas pressure which operates on an elastomer diaphragm or the like, to eject the medication.

The invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of the medication device,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the gas generating element of the medication device,

FIG. 3 indicates possible or suitable locations for the device on a human body,

FIG. 4 is a box diagram indicating the relation between the device and a gas detector,

FIG. 5 illustrates a system wherein a transmitter under the control of a gas sensor is adapted to transmit a danger signal to a plurality of receivers each attached to a different individual.

FIG. 6 shows the relative locations of the medication device and radio receiver on the human body,

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the parts attached to the individual, and

FIG. 8 is a wiring diagram of the control circuit illustrated by FIG. 7.

The form of the device illustrated by FIG. 1 is approximately .50" x .75" X 1". It includes a container 10 onto one end of which a closure 11 is threaded. Fixed between the container 10 and the closure 11 is an expandable diaphragm 12 which divides the container into a firing chamber 13 and a chamber 14 containing a medication 15. Opening out of the medication chamber 14 is an orifice 16 extending through a piece of sapphire 17 which is fixed to the container. The diameter of this orifice is of the order of 0.005 inch.

Threaded into the closure 11 is the gas generating unit 18. The details of this unit appear in FIG. 2. It includes a primer 19, a firing head 20 and a cartridge 21.

3,145,712 Patented Aug. 25, 1964 The primer 19 includes cartridge 21-. The primer 19 includes a body of lead styphnate 22 which is fired by the application of an electrical voltage between the outer casing of the primer and a central conductor 23 which insulated from this outer casing by an insulator 24. As hereinafter explained, this primer firing voltage may be generated by the radio receiver born by the individual to which the medication device is attached. Theresultant firing of the cartridge 21 generates in the firing chamber 13 a gas pressure which expands the diaphragm 12 and drives the medication out through the orifice 16. As indicated by FIG. 3, the medication device may be attached to the shin or thigh of the user by means of a strap 25 or other suitable means. 7

FIG. 4 shows the medication device 10 as interconnected with a gas detector 26 This detector may be of a well known type wherein the presence of a nerve gas causes a spot to appear on a tape and this spot is utilized by an electric eye to generate a signal. In the arrangement of FIG. 4, this signal functions to energize the medication device.

In the case of FIG. 5, the detector 26 is utilized to energize a radio transmitter 27 from which a signal is applied to the receivers 28, 29 and 30. It is to be understood that each of the radio receivers 28, 29 and 30 is connected through a control circuit 32 to the medication device of a different individual. This makes it possible for a single gas detector to protect a whole group of individuals. While it is possible that the radio receiver and medication would be constructed as a single body, it is at present preferred that they be attached to the user as indicated by FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates a possible space application wherein the medication device and radio receiver as operated by a signal from a radio transmitter 30 which may be operated by a manual control device 33.

The details of the control circuit 32 are illustrated by FIG. 8. This circuit includes an input network 34, a pair of amplifiers 35 and 36 and a gas tube 37 commonly designated as a Thyratron. Plate potential is applied to the tubes 35, 36 and 37 from a battery 38, heating current is supplied to their cathodes from a battery 39, and grid bias potential is applied to tubes 35 and 37 from a battery 40. The grid 41 of the tube is connected to the positive terminal of the battery 38 through a resistor 42 and to the negative terminal of this battery through a capacitor 43.

The radio receiver 28 functions to amplify and detect the received signal. This detected signal is applied to the input leads 44-45 of the control circuit 32, and is amplified by the amplifiers 35 and 36, the output potential of the amplifier 36 being applied to the grid of the gas tube 37. When this output potential exceeds the critical cutoff voltage of the tube 37, this tube conducts and its plate voltage decreases. This voltage decrease effects closure of a switch 46. Thereupon, a capacitor 47, charged from a battery 48 through a resistor 49 is discharged through the primer 19 (FIG. 2) of the medication device 10, the cartridge 21 is fired, and the resulting gas pressure expands the diaphragm 12. This forces the medication 15 outwardly through the orifice 16 at a pressure sufiiciently high to penetrate the flesh of the user of the medication device.

I claim:

1. The combination of, a medication device comprising a hollow container, means forming firing and medication chambers in said container separated by an expandable diaphragm, means providing an orifice opening out of said medication chamber, said orifice being of a size to prevent premature loss of medication and to permit percutaneous injection thereof, a gas detector, means operable by and connected with said detector to generate an electric signal in response to a predetermined gas, an electroresponsive gas pressure generator extending into said firing chamber and adapted to be energized by said signal to generate a gas pressure in said firing chamber and expand said diaphragm, and means connected to transfer said signal from said generating means to energize said gas pressure generator.

2. The combination of, a medication device comprising a hollow container having a removable closure means at one end, means forming firing and medication chambers in said container separated by an expandable diaphragm clamped by said closure means, means providing an orifice opening out of said medication chamber, said orifice being of a size less than one-tenth inch in diameter to prevent premature loss of medicament and to permit percutaneous injection thereof, a gas detector, means operable by and connected with said detector to generate an electric signal in response to a predetermined gas, a radio transmitter connected to said detector for transmitting said signal, an electroresponsive gas pressure generator extending into said firing chamber and adapted to be energized by said signal to generate a gas pressure in said firing chamber and expand said dia hragm, means for receiving said transmitted signal, and means connected with said gas pressure generator and responsive to said received signal for energizing said generator, thereby to generate said gas pressure in said firing chamber and expand said diaphragm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. THE COMBINATION OF, A MEDICATION DEVICE COMPRISING A HOLLOW CONTAINER, MEANS FORMING FIRING AND MEDICATION CHAMBERS IN SAID CONTAINER SEPARATED BY AN EXPANDABLE DIAPHRAGM, MEANS PROVIDING AN ORIFICE OPENING OUT OF SAID MEDICATION CHAMBER, SAID ORIFICE BEING OF A SIZE TO PREVENT PREMATURE LOSS OF MEDICATION AND TO PREMIT PERCUTANEOUS INJECTION THEREOF, A GAS DETECTOR, MEANS OPERABLE BY AND CONNECTED WITH SAID DETECTOR TO GENERATE AN ELECTRIC SIGNAL IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED GAS, AN ELECTROESPONSIVE GAS PRESSURE GENERATOR EXTENDING INTO SAID FIRING CHAMBER AND ADAPTED TO BE ENERGIZED BY SAID SIGNAL TO GENERATE A GAS PRESSURE IN SAID FIRING CHAMBER 